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Bird name:

Mottled Duck

Anas fulvigula

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

MODU

Code 6

ANAFUL

ITIS

175070

Breeding Location:

Coastal ponds, Wetlands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common in coastal range

Egg Color:

Creamy to green white

Number of Eggs:

8 - 12

Incubation Days:

25 - 27

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Matted grass, reeds, aquatic vegetation, lined with down, breast feathers.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Mottled Duck: Medium-sized dabbling duck with dark brown mottled body, feathers usually showing distinct multi-toned chevrons, buff-brown face and unmarked neck, and darker crown and eye line. Speculum is blue-green bordered with black and very fine white bars. Bill is bright yellow; legs and feet are orange. Sexes are similar; female and juvenile are slightly paler and usually have duller, yellow-green bills.

Range and Habitat

Mottled Duck: Breeds from Texas to Florida, introduced to South Carolina coast. Non-migratory, year-round resident of coastal marshes, both freshwater and estuarine. Forages in rice and agricultural fields, particularly in autumn. Occasionally found inland.

Breeding and Nesting

Mottled Duck: Monogamous. Ground nest consists of scrape in dry area of marsh, usually near water. Nest built by female, concealed by surrounding vegetation, lined with down, breast feathers. Eight to twelve unmarked creamy to green white eggs. Female incubates for 25 to 27 days. Prococial young, fledge at 60 to 70 days, attended by female.

Foraging and Feeding

Mottled Duck: Dabbles in shallow marshes and ponds for mollusks, crustaceans, snails, insects, fish, seeds, and aquatic vegetation. Also feeds on grass, grain, and berries.

Vocalization

Mottled Duck: Call is a soft "quack", female's call louder than male's. Both male and female call similar to Mallard, but softer and less harsh overall.

Similar Species

Mottled Duck: American Black Duck is darker overall with darker face and purple speculum. Female mallard is lighter overall, with more orange bill often with black cere, paler tail and rump, and blue speculum distinctly bordered with white.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Eye line

The line of feathers just in front of and behind the eyes. It extends back from the posterior angle of the eye. This can be a useful trait used in identification in the field since it is very noticeable.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Speculum

The brightly colored area on the wing (secondaries of the wing) on several duck species.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America